Pulp-separator.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

K. B. FLETCHER.

PULP SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 0019 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- N0 MODEL.

WITNESEEE z.

oRms PETERS cc. wo-mLnHo" wawmmm. u c

PATENTED/AUG. 4, 1903.

K. B. FLETCHER. PULP SBPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 9, 1902.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 2- NO MODEL.

EE-Z

\A/IT E5555:

jwfWW No. 735,080. PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

- K B. FLETCHER.

PULP SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION PILED OUT-'91 1902.

H0 MODEL. 3 SHEETSSHEBT 3.

UNITED STATES Patented August 4, i903.

PATENT OFFICE.

KIMBALL B. FLETCHER, OF LANCASTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO THOMPSONMANUFACTURING COMPANY.

PU LP-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,080, dated August4, 1903.

Serial No. 126,374. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, KIMBALL B. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Lancaster, in the county of Ooos and State of NewHampshire,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPulp-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for reducing the consistency ofwood-pulp by re- I0 moving a portion of the water or other liquid mixedwith the pulp either in the process of grinding or digesting bychemicals or in subsequent stages of manufacture.

It consists, essentially, in certain mechanism for automaticallyregulating the flow of the liquid pulp, keeping the pulp at a uniformheight, and rendering the operation of the machine steady and uniform.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is ac a side elevation of mymachine. Fig. 2 is a Vertical transverse section in a line parallel withthe side of the machine. Fig. 8 is a detail ofa portion of theregulating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a top view of the machine with the coverremoved.

A is a rectangular water-tight receptacle or tank, preferably made ofwood, within which is the vat B, the bottom of which is substantiallysemicircular in cross-section 3c and the front and back walls of whichare below the level of the top of the tank A.

A short distance from the front Wall of the tank A and forming a part ofthe front wall of the vat B is the upright distributing-board O,forming, with the front and side walls of the tank A, a receiving-troughD, into which the liquid pulp flows through the opening E and, strikingagainst the distributing-board O, is distributed over its surface andflows in 4.0 a uniform sheet over its top into the vat B.

In the vat B is a cylindrical screen F, mounted on a shaft G, having itsbearings in the sides of the vat, to which rotary motion is given bymeans of the driving-pulley G through the medium of gears G2 and G Theshaft is placed somewhat to the rear of the middle of the vat, makingthe periphery of the cylindrical screen eccentric to the curve of thebottom of the vat. The screen F is covered with wire-cloth, which is ofa suitable mesh to allow the water from the pulp to drain readily intothe interior of the cyl- -inder.

The cylindrical screen F is open at both ends. Opposite to the lowerpart of the cylinder are openings in the sides of the vat B,communicating with side vats I I, one at each end of the cylinder.Suitable packing-rings, preferably made of canvas and not shown in thedrawings, encircle the ends of the cylin- 6o der and prevent the pulpfrom passing from the main body of the vat through the openings into theside vats I I.

A couch-roll J, having its surface covered with felt, is mounted abovethe screen Fand rests upon it with sufiicient pressure to be rotated bythe movement of the screen. The ends of the shaft upon which thecouch-roll is mounted are supported by boxes K, sliding in vertical waysK and suspended from springs K which relieve the screen from the fullweight of the couch-roll. As the cylindrical screen F revolves a certainamount of the thickened pulp from which the water has been drained istaken up on its surface, from which it is removed by the couch-roll J.As the couch-roll J revolves the pulp on its surface comes in contactwith the wooden blade or doctor, by which it is scraped off into thedischarge-trough M, from which it is re moved in any convenient manner.If it is de-' sired that the pulp should be discharged from the vat Bina liquid form, it is allowed after passing under the cylinder F to flowover the back side of the tank into the trough M. If, however, the pulpis to bereduced to a comparatively solid form, the back side of the vatB is raised by an extension-board N, whose ends slide in vertical guidesin the ends of the vat B and which is raised or low- 0 ered by anyconvenient means. The .pulp is then held back in the vat B and the solidportions removed by the action'of the COIIChf-I'Oll, as above described.The liquid, strained from the pulp by the action of the screen F passesinto the side vatsI land thence through elbow-pipes O O, which areconnected by a cross-trough P, so that the liquid from both ends of thecylinder may be discharged from a common outlet. In each of theelbow-pipes Ioo O O is a gate 0, mounted on a vertical shaft Q,extending to a point near the top of the tank A. By means of these gatesthe passage of the liquid through the elbow-pipes is regulated. Theopening or closing of these gates is effected by means of thecylindrical float R in the vat B. This float consists of a hollowmetallic cylinder with closed ends adapted to float at or near thesurface of the pulp in the vat B. At the ends of the float areprojections fitting loosely in vertical guides R, attached to the insideof the vat B. At each end of the float is an upwardlyprojecting arm Rpivoted to a bell-crank lever R5, which operates an arm R on the011tside of the tank A, which in turn is pivoted to the crank B attachedto the upper end of the vertical shaft Q, upon the lower end of whichthe gate 0 is mounted. The arrangement and operation of the parts aresuch that when the pulp begins to accumulate in the vat B the float Rrises, thereby opening the gates O and permitting the liquid to flowmore rapidly from the interior of the cylindrical screen F, thusaccelerating the operation of the screen in removing the liquid from thepulp. On the other hand, when the level of the pulp in the vat B fallsbelow the normal level the float R falls, thereby closing thegates andchecking the outward flow of liquid, thus retarding the action of thescreen F. By these means the pulp in the vat B is automatically kept ata uniform level and the flow of the pulp is uniform and constant.

Attached to the upper end of the shaft Q is a horizontal arm S,projecting radially over a notched bar T in the form of the segment of acircle. The arm S is slotted, and in the slot is pivoted a lock-bar S,having a handle S and a downwardly-projecting spur adapted to engage inthe notches of the segment-bar T. By these means the gates 0 may beturned and set permanently in any desired position independently of theaction of the regulating-float R.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the class described a vat B,a revoluble cylindricalscreen F in said vat communicating at each end with a side vat Iprovided with a discharge-pipe O,in combination with gates O in saiddischarge-pipes for regulating the flow of the water through the sameand means for operating said gates,sub stantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described,a vat B, a revoluble cylindricalscreen in said vat communicating at each endwith a side vat I providedwith adischarge-pipe O havinga gate O,means for opening and closing saidgates,

consisting of the float R adapted to be moved vertically by changes inthe depth of the pulp in the vat B and means for communicating themovement of said float to said gates substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the class described a vat B,a revoluble cylindricalscreen F in said vat communicating at each end with a side vat Iprovided with a discharge-pipe 0 having a gate 0, a float R adapted tobe moved vertically by the changes in the depth of the pulp in the vatB, guides R for regulating the movements of said float and means forcommunicating the movements of said float to said gates substantially asdescribed.

4. In a machine of the class described,a vat B, a revoluble cylindricalscreen Fin said vat communicating at each end with a side vat I having adischarge-pipe O a gate 0 in said discharge-pipe mounted on a shaft Qand a float R adapted to be moved vertically by the changes in the depthof pulp in the vat B,in combination with an upright arm R attached toeach end of said float and pivoted to a bellcrank lever B and arm Roperated by said lever and connecting it with the crank R on thegate-shaft Q substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the class described a vat B, a revoluble cylindricalscreen in said vat communicating at each end with a side vat I having adischarge-pipe O and gates in said discharge-pipes for regulating theflow of liquid from said screen in combination with means for adjustingthe position of said gates consisting of the arm S attached radially tothe gate-shaft Q and provided with adownwardly-projecting lock-bar Sengaging the notched segment-bar T, substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the class described a vat B, a revoluble cylindricalscreen in said vat communicating at each end withaside vat I having adischarge-pipe O and gates in said discharge-pipes for regulating theflow of liquid from said screen, in combination with means for adjustingthe position of said gates consisting of the slotted arms S attachedradially to the gate-shafts, each arm having a downWardly-projectinglock-bar S pivoted in said slot and engaging the notched segmentbar T,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

KIMBALL B. FLETCHER.

Witnesses: R. J. BROWN,

J. C. CORCORAN.

